Can the internet be as addictive as drugs or alcohol?

Internet addiction is not officially recognized by doctors and other health-care authorities, but a small study done in China suggests that teens hooked to the net suffer from a form of brain damage.

Researchers say internet addiction could share mechanisms with drug and alcohol addiction. (Associated Press) Researchers studied the brains of 17 teens and found that those addicted to the internet appear to show damage to their white matter and the fibres that connect it. This suggests that heavy internet use, like alcoholism and gambling, may be linked with cognitive impairment.

Several psychological studies have described internet addiction as an impulse-control disorder, an overwhelming desire to stay online that impairs an individual's ability to function on a day-to-day basis.

The authors of this new research say that internet addiction "may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction."

Do you think the internet can be as addictive as drugs or alcohol? Let us know in the comments below.



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